【线上云德】疫情期间律师说（一百一十八）┃疫情期间律师说+疫情下的企业合同风险管理

一、疫情系企业合同面临的“不可抗力”

我们首先从疫情说起。因为疫情，大家都过了一个不寻常的春节。春节之后，我们的防疫措施，各种公共卫生事件的响应措施，导致了社会很多方面都变得极不寻常，对于企业来讲尤其如此。

本次新型冠状病毒肺炎作为一种突发性的异常事件，一种全国范围内爆发的疫情，且从其爆发至今，尚未确定确切的传染源，亦无绝对有效方法阻止其传播及治愈患者，是合同各方当事人无法预见、不能避免、不能克服的客观情况，属于《合同法》规定的不可抗力。

1.The epidemic situation is the "force majeure" that enterprise contracts face

Let's start with the epidemic. Because of the epidemic, everyone had an unusual Spring Festival. After the Spring Festival, our anti-epidemic measures and various public health incident response measures have caused many aspects of society to become extremely unusual, especially for companies.

This new coronavirus pneumonia is a sudden abnormal event, an outbreak nationwide, and since its outbreak, the exact source of infection has not been determined, and there is no absolutely effective method to prevent its spread and cure patients. It is an objective situation that cannot be foreseen, unavoidable, and insurmountable by the parties to the contract, and belongs to the force majeure provided for in the Contract Law.

二、企业合同管理：从“抗疫”到“免疫”

在合同里面我们首先要对企业的合同做一个全面的梳理，类似于对新冠的病人的分类一样，我们要给它做三种分类。比如有确诊的，确实由于不可抗力导致合同无法履行了。有两种情况，一个是自己没法履行，一个是对方没办法履行。也有健康的，如果说这个合同还能正常履行的，保持观察。还有疑似的，要加强监测，合理排查。具体的我们来对应地看一下。　　

（一）“确诊”的合同中：

1、自己一方碰到不可抗力

首先我们要通知，不管有没有拿到不可抗力证明，都要向对方进行通知，告知对方这个合同（由于不可抗力）没法履行了。然后取证，取证的方法结合自身实际情况。　　

2、对方遭遇不可抗力

在对方遭遇不可抗力的情况下，发生不可抗力到对方通知如果是有迟延的话，（发生不可抗力后）到接到通知以前的增加的损失对方是要赔偿的。如果是对方不可抗力，我方接到对方的不可抗力通知，我这一方就要采取措施，减少损害的发生，找替代方案。

（二）“疑似”合同中

3、对方违约可能性大

我们要有积极准备，要有替代方案，比如说这个合同如果对方不能履行了，我们找谁来履行这个合同，或者从哪儿能找到相关的物料。

4、己方违约可能性大

这时操作的余地比较大一些，第一是客户关系，通过客户关系来梳理合同，哪一个客户对我们企业将来的发展有关键性作用，这个合同应该排在优先履行的情况下优先履行。第二，在相同的情况下我们就看这个合同里，不同的合同违约责任的大小，违约责任大的先履行，违约责任小的后履行。当然，这只是讲己方违约的可能性大，并不代表己几方就一定会违约。

合同遭遇不可抗力时，首先要减少损失。然后采取措施，对于疑似的合同、有可能的，我们要防范。

最后我们还要做到合同“免疫”，也就是说以后即使发生了不可抗力的情况，我们也不受损失，并且不受影响。防疫的措施就是客户的多元化，同时它也是一个免疫的措施，就是你的客户不能太单一的，你如果是独家的这一类，往往可能出现疫情的时候，如果你的客户出现问题了，你的上游或者是下游出现问题了，都会出现连锁反应的。“免疫”措施就是如果说合同里面，一定要有不可抗力条款。

2. Enterprise contract management: from "anti-epidemic" to "immunization"

In the contract, we must first make a comprehensive review of the company's contract, similar to the classification of patients with the new crown, we have to do three classifications for it. For example, if there is a diagnosis, the contract cannot be performed due to force majeure. There are two situations, one is that they cannot perform, and the other is that they cannot perform. There are also healthy ones, if this contract can be performed normally, keep watching. There are also suspects, we must strengthen monitoring and reasonable investigation. Let's take a look at the specifics.

(1) In the "confirmed diagnosis" contract:

1. Oneself encounters force majeure

First of all, we have to notify, regardless of whether we have obtained the force majeure certificate, we must notify the other party that the contract (due to force majeure) cannot be performed. Then forensics, the method of forensics combined with its own actual situation.

2. The other party encounters force majeure

In the case where the other party encounters force majeure, the other party's notification of the force majeure occurs if there is a delay, (after the occurrence of force majeure) the other party shall compensate for the additional loss before the notification. If it is the force majeure of the other party, we will receive the force majeure notification from the other party. My party will take measures to reduce the damage and find alternative solutions.

(2) "Suspected" contract

3. The other party is likely to default

We must be actively prepared and have alternative solutions. For example, if the contract cannot be performed by the other party, who do we want to perform the contract, or where can we find related materials.

4. Your party has a high probability of default

At this time, there is more room for operation. The first is the customer relationship. The customer relationship is used to sort out the contract. Which customer has a key role in the future development of our enterprise. This contract should be ranked first. Second, under the same circumstances, we look at this contract. The size of the liability for breach of contract in different contracts, the greater the liability for breach of contract, the first to perform, and the smaller the liability for breach of contract, and then perform. Of course, this is just to say that the possibility of breach of contract is high, and it does not mean that several parties will definitely default.

When the contract encounters force majeure, the loss must first be reduced. Then take measures to prevent suspected contracts and possible ones.

Finally, we have to be "immune" in the contract, which means that even if a force majeure situation occurs in the future, we will not suffer any loss and will not be affected. Anti-epidemic measures are the diversification of customers, and it is also an immunization measure, that is, your customers cannot be too single. If you are an exclusive type, there may often be an outbreak. If your customers have problems, If you have problems upstream or downstream, there will be a chain reaction. The "immunization" measure means that if there is a force majeure clause in the contract.

三、合同风险管理感悟

（一）合同风险管理是持续性而非一时性工作。从合同一开始订立，从企业一开始设立，就要注重合同工作，要有积累，不要遇事了再做这种事情。

（二）合同风险管理是综合性而非部门性工作，涉及到合同风险管理的时候是各部门相互配合的结果，不是法务部门或者是合规部门一个部门的工作。　　

（三）合同风险管理中经验比知识重要，在设计合理的不可抗力条款的时候，我们要总结不同企业在不可抗力条款当中的合理的做法，经验比知识重要。你知道不可抗力条款，但是不一定能涉及到较好的不可抗力条款。经验一个是同行的经验，还有你失败的经验，要把它放到不可抗力的条款里去。

（四）合同风险管理是坚守与妥协的艺术。在做合同的风险管理的时候，一定要坚守风险点要卡住，但是在利益上面可以妥协。

3. The perception of contract risk management

(1) Contract risk management is continuous rather than temporary work. From the beginning of the contract, from the beginning of the establishment of the enterprise, we must focus on contract work, we must accumulate, do not do such things in case of accidents.

(2) Contract risk management is comprehensive rather than departmental work. When contract risk management is involved, it is the result of cooperation between various departments, not the work of the legal department or the compliance department.

(3) Experience is more important than knowledge in contract risk management. When designing reasonable force majeure clauses, we must summarize the reasonable practices of different companies in force majeure clauses. Experience is more important than knowledge. You know the force majeure clause, but it may not necessarily involve the better force majeure clause. One of the experiences is the experience of your peers, as well as your experience of failure. Put it into the force majeure clause.

(4) Contract risk management is the art of perseverance and compromise. When doing contract risk management, you must stick to the risk points and get stuck, but you can compromise on the benefits.